SOUTH HOLLAND, IL – South Suburban College hosted its 89th Commencement Ceremony on Sunday, May 21, 2017 in the SSC Fitness Center/Fieldhouse on the Main Campus located at 15800 South State Street, South Holland, Illinois.
This year’s Commencement Speaker was SSC alumnus Jarrett M. Adams, Attorney, Innocence Project, NY. After serving nearly 10 years for a wrongful conviction, Jarrett was exonerated with the assistance of the Wisconsin Innocence Project. As a first step, Jarrett literally walked back into college from his mother’s house in South Holland and earned his Associates Degree from SSC in 2009. From scholarship to passing the New York bar exam on his first attempt in 2016, Jarrett has used the injustice he endured as inspiration to become an advocate for the underserved and uncounted.
This year South Suburban College awarded over 550 degrees and certificates to graduating students, in addition to many more transferring students who are finishing up their two years at SSC. Approximately 225 students walked at the ceremony.
Among this year’s graduates was LaWanda Flennoy, one of three generations of family celebrating their graduations together. Flennoy’s two oldest daughters, Paris and Amari, graduated from college this month. Her youngest, Jade, finished high school, and granddaughter Brooklyn graduated from kindergarten.
Registration for the fall semester at SSC is now in progress. For more information about all of SSC’s programs, admissions and registration, please visit www.ssc.edu or contact the Admissions Office at (708) 210-5718.
SOUTH HOLLAND, IL – MakerGirl is a non-profit start-up founded by students at the University of Illinois in Champaign. They inspire elementary girls to be active in STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, the Arts and Mathematics) through 3D printing sessions. Women are underrepresented in STEAM and girls tend to lose interest in STEAM fields around middle school. The MakerGirl program sparks curiosity at an early age by providing an environment for girls to learn, create, experiment, and engage themselves in STEAM activities.
MakerGirl is traveling across the Midwest to host 3D printing sessions for girls between the ages of 7-10 to learn more about STEAM, cutting edge technology, and much more. These sessions teach young girls 3D printing, while also teaching them about women leaders in STEAM fields, innovative companies, cutting edge technology, and much more. We want your MakerGirl to come to our session and depart wanting to actively participate in any and all parts of STEAM!
South Suburban College
Oak Forest Campus (Rm. 5310)
16333 Kilbourne St.
Oak Forest, IL 6045
Registration: Tickets are FREE. Please register at: http://bit.ly/makergirl-ssc or contact jaime@makergirl.us. For more information about all of SSC’s programs, admissions and registration, please visit www.ssc.edu or contact the Admissions Office at (708) 210-5718.
SOUTH HOLLAND, IL – South Suburban College will be offering a Free Highway Construction Careers Training Program this summer at their Oak Forest Campus. Orientation and Assessment Testing will be June 20-22 at the Oak Forest Center, with the program set to begin on July 17, 2017.
The Highway Construction Careers Training Program has been implemented to increase the number of minorities, women, and disadvantaged individuals working on IDOT highway construction projects. The training consists of an intensive 12-week program to learn the skills necessary for acceptance into the highway construction trades and gives the opportunity for a career with high wage potential.
Requirements: Valid driver’s license, 18 years or older, High School diploma/GED, Interest working in the Construction Trades
Construction will always be needed for new buildings, roads, bridges, and other structures. Some of the more skilled construction careers such as engineer require higher education while others such as cement masonry can be learned as an on-the-job apprentice.
All candidates MUST have a valid driver’s license with them to attend orientation. For more information or to download a copy of the study guide for the assessment test, please visit our website at www.ssc.edu/hcctp, or call (708) 708-225-6004, or email hcctp@ssc.edu. Para Información En Español Llame: (708) 210-5740. All orientation and assessment testing will be held at the Oak Forest Center. The Oak Forest Center is located at 16333 South Kilbourn Avenue, Oak Forest, Illinois 60452.
The Illinois Department of Transportation, the Illinois Community College Board, and the participating community colleges do not guarantee employment upon trainees’ graduation from the Highway Construction Careers Training Program.
SOUTH HOLLAND, IL – Each year, the Illinois State Library recognizes the achievements of ten individuals who support the adult literacy effort in Illinois. The Spotlight on Achievement Awards go to five inspiring adult learners who have shown tremendous growth as they worked to improve their reading skills or to learn the English language, and are also presented to five adult literacy volunteer tutors who have shown great dedication as they assisted adult learners to reach their reading goals.
This year Gerald Chaben, South Suburban College literacy tutor, received one of these prestigious awards in a ceremony held May 8th at the Springfield State Library. Mr. Chaben was given a plaque, the Illinois Blue Book personally signed by Illinois Secretary of State Jesse White, and three other books. The award was accepted on Mr. Chaben’s behalf by Raylynn Stokes, Literacy Coach of South Suburban College’s Adult Volunteer Literacy Program.
Tutoring for South Suburban College fifteen years and counting, Mr. Chaben has volunteered countless hours of instructional time with his adult learners. He believes that adult literacy is a vital component of society and feels that people with good literacy skills are more likely to have higher self-esteem, better health, better jobs and higher wages. Chaben is active in helping his students feel more confident in learning and bettering themselves, and always asks his learners what they need help with that day, whether it be class work or life skills. Gerald worked with one student for ten years, eventually raising her reading ability by five levels. This is one of the many examples of the dedication Gerald Chaben has for his students.
If you would like to register for a volunteer tutor training class, or if you know someone who could benefit from tutoring services, please contact Raylynn Stokes, South Suburban College Literacy Coach of the Adult Volunteer Literacy Program, at (708) 596-2000, ext. 2558, or email rstokes@ssc.edu. South Suburban College is located at 15800 S. State St., South Holland, Illinois.
For more information about all of SSC’s programs, admissions and registration, please visit www.ssc.edu or contact the Admissions Office at (708) 210-5718. Contáctanos al (708) 210-5740 o a Latino@ssc.edu.
Pictured: Raylynn Stokes, Literacy Coach of South Suburban College’s Adult Volunteer Literacy Program at “Spotlight on Achievement” award ceremony.
SOUTH HOLLAND, IL – In response to the growing Latino Community, South Suburban College has established the Latino Center for Information and Services. The Center is located in the Counseling Center Room 2350. The mission of the Center is to Help Latinos Achieve the Dream through education.
Our Center. . .
Provides excellent customer service to prospective and current students and parents by providing interpretation (English/Spanish).
Will be the “live voice” at the other end of the phone when a caller to SSC “presses 4 for Spanish.”
Will escort prospective and current students and parents from office to office ensuring they understand the process and have the information in their native tongue.
Provides interpretation services for college programs/departments on-demand.
In collaboration with college staff, provides informational sessions for parents/students in Spanish.
Maintains a scholarship database for Latino students, especially for Undocumented-DREAMer students.
Visit us on YouTube to watch an episode of “Bulldog Bites” highlighting the Latino Center Grand Opening at https://youtu.be/7nFgwZYZXEU. For more information, please contact us at 708-210-5740 or Latino@ssc.edu. Para información en Español comuniquese al Centro Latino (708) 210-5740 o a Latino@ssc.edu. For information about all of SSC’s programs, admissions and registration, please visit www.ssc.edu or contact the Admissions Office at (708) 210-5718. South Suburban College is located at 15800 S. State Street, South Holland, IL 60473.
SOUTH HOLLAND, IL–South Suburban College recently hosted their annual Spring Tea Awards to recognize employees’ years of service, retirements, and announce the Faculty Appreciation Awards.
The SSC Faculty Appreciation Awards have now become an annual tradition under direction of college president Don Manning and vice president of academic services, Lynnette Stokes. “We have so many wonderful, talented faculty members at SSC,” said President Manning. “It is only fitting that we begin recognizing them appropriately with a formal expression of our appreciation.”
This year’s annual Faculty Appreciation Award recipients were:
Outstanding Faculty Member of the Year Award – Sandy Bein, Communications & Humanities Outstanding Adjunct Faculty Member of the Year Award – Vernita Lewis, Early Childhood Education Program The Dr. Steven Springer Service Award – Jamie Welling, Life Science and Physical Education The Dr. William E. McVey Teamwork Award – Corey McDonald and the Math Remediation Strategic Team (Beth Beno, Diane Grzezcka, Amy Kelly, Caleb Olaleye, Dave Anderson and Jazaer Farrar)
The Outstanding Community Educator of the Year Award – Erica Humphrey, Office of the Associate Dean of Academic Services
SSC’s 2017 retiring employees were recognized at both the Spring Tea Awards and the college’s May Meeting of the Board of Trustees. Chairman of the Board, Frank M. Zuccarelli, presented each of the retirees with gifts during the open meeting. “On behalf of the SSC Board of Trustees, I want to thank you for all of your many years of dedicated service. You will be missed dearly by the college and our students, and we wish you all the best.”
The following employees are retiring from SSC in 2017:
Rebecca Admave, BCI – 27 years Maryland Eggleston, Career Development – 20 years Jan Green, Student Development – 30 years Mary Ann Larsen, Counseling – 27 years
Celebrating its 90th year, SSC is a fully accredited, comprehensive community college with locations in South Holland and Oak Forest. SSC offers over 50 career education and transfer programs awarding Associate Degrees, professional certifications and transferable credits. SSC also has numerous community outreach programs including Adult Basic Education (ABE), High School Equivalency (HSE), English as a Second Language (ESL), Continuing Education and a Business & Career Institute. For more information about all of SSC’s programs, admissions and registration, please visit www.ssc.edu or contact the Admissions Office at (708) 210-5718.
SSC Chairman of the Board Frank Zuccarelli with 30-year retiree Jan Green.
SOUTH HOLLAND, IL – To celebrate the 90th Anniversary of South Suburban College (1927-2017), we are creating a college historic wall and display case for the main campus atrium that will commemorate our school from its beginnings as Thornton Community College in the 1920s to the institution we know today.
We are asking for your help to make this happen by donating college memorabilia for our display case such as pennants, diplomas, graduation programs, buttons, photos, college branded clothing, advertising and more. Your artifact must be in good and stable physical condition and not already overrepresented (for example, we will only use one yearbook). All donations will become the property of South Suburban College. Due to space limitations, we cannot accept all articles.
If you have a college-related item from Thornton Junior College, Thornton Community College or South Suburban College that you would be willing to donate for our display case, please email Debbie Lamoureux at dlamoureux@ssc.edu. If available, please attach a photo. Or phone (708) 596-2000, ext. 2203. Thank you for your help with this project. Working together we can honor the institution that has made its place in the community and enriched the lives of so many.
SOUTH HOLLAND, IL – LearnHowToBecome.org, a leading resource provider for higher education and career information, recently released its list of the Best Colleges in Illinois for 2017 naming South Suburban College in South Holland as one of The Best Two-Year Colleges in Illinois.
To be included on the “Best Colleges in Illinois” list, all schools must be not-for-profit and regionally accredited. Each college is also evaluated on metrics including annual alumni earnings, the opportunity for employment services and academic counseling, the selection of degree programs offered, financial aid availability and graduation rates.
LearnHowtoBecome.org was founded in 2013 to provide data and expert driven information about employment opportunities and the education needed to land the perfect career. Their materials cover a wide range of professions, industries and degree programs, and are designed for people who want to choose, change or advance their careers. They also provide helpful resources and guides that address social issues, financial aid and other special interest in higher education.
South Suburban College is located at 15800 S. State Street, South Holland, IL. Registration is now open for both the Summer and Fall Semesters. For more information about all of SSC’s programs, admissions and registration, please visit www.ssc.edu or contact the Admissions Office at (708) 210-5718. Para Información En Español Llame: (708) 210-5740.
SOUTH HOLLAND, IL – South Suburban College (SSC), with the assistance of Career Development Systems (CDS), hosted the 10th Annual South Suburban College Video Competition on Thursday, April 20, 2017, in the Kindig Performing Arts Center. The competition showcases talent from high schools as well as provides students with tours of the college’s facilities, including the television studio, audio studio and multimedia lab.
“It’s important for my students to tour South Suburban College because they just don’t realize how amazing facilities are so close to home,” said Eisenhower High School teacher, Jodi Pelini. Michael Jones, parent of Bremen High School senior/competition participant, Brittany Jones, felt it was beneficial for South Suburban College to host a video competition for high schoolers because students get familiar with SSC’s options. He was impressed with the variety of videos he saw at the event. Brittany and some of her classmates placed 3rd in the PSA and Music Video categories.
Ten high schools submitted entries to the competition including Bremen, Eisenhower, Hillcrest, Oak Forest, Richards, Shepard, Southland Prep, Thornridge, Thornton Township and Tinley Park. Students entered work in eight different categories: Commercial, PSA, Short Subject, Music Video, Live Multi-Camera Program, Creative Editing, News Story or Feature and News Program. The 69 entries were judged on aesthetic quality, technical quality, program design and overall effectiveness.
Angie Zavala, a senior at Eisenhower High School, took home two 1st place trophies and three 2nd place ribbons. When Zavala graduates, she plans to continue her education and has a goal of entering the film industry as a director. Zavala was ecstatic to see how many awards she won and said, “I enjoyed looking at my peers’ video submissions during the award ceremony the most.” Her partner on the music video submission that took 1st place was junior Brianna Smith. She wants to create a book series and adapt those books into film. Smith enjoyed watching video clips of nominees on the big screen to see how she can improve her submissions for next year’s competition.
In addition to the student awards, high schools competed for the Regional Award of Distinction. Eisenhower High School won this year’s award having the highest average score per entry. “I love the way the awards are announced,” said Pelini. “This competition allows students to take pride in their work and get recognized for hard work.”
The student awards for each category are as follows:
Commercial: First Place, “Cardinal AdBlock” – Eisenhower; Second Place, “Cardinal Football: Are You Ready?” – Eisenhower; Third Place, “Betrayer” – Bremen.
PSA: First Place, “All it Takes is One” – Eisenhower; Second Place, “You Are Not Alone” – Eisenhower; Third Place, “Use Your Head” – Bremen.
Short Subject: First Place, “3.141592653 THE MOVIE” – Tinley Park; Second Place, “Siren” – Eisenhower; Third Place, “While it Lasts” – Tinley Park.
Music Video: First Place, “The Kids Aren’t Alright” – Eisenhower; Second Place, “Striking Down” – Oak Forest; Third Place, “Tinnitus by Everyone Says” – Bremen.
Live Multi-Camera Program: First Place, “The Diary of Anne Frank” – Eisenhower; Second Place, “Chaleisa Lately” – Hillcrest; Third Place, “So Late it’s Early” – Tinley Park.
Creative Editing: First Place, “Unite” – Eisenhower; Second Place, “Life Undocumented” – Thornton Township; Third Place, “I am Eisenhower” – Eisenhower.
News Story or Feature: First Place, “Lexi” – Eisenhower; Second Place, “Worms” – Southland Prep; Third Place, “The Closet” – Eisenhower.
News Program: First Place, “Wildcat News” – Thornton Township; Second Place, “Ike Update” – Eisenhower; Third Place, “Talon NewsNet Channel 5” – Southland Prep.
For more information about all of SSC’s programs, admissions and registration, please visit www.ssc.edu or contact the Admissions Office at (708) 210-5718.
John Geraci (left) Communication Professor at South Suburban College alongside Jodi Pelini (right) TV Production and Broadcast News Teacher at Dwight D. Eisenhower High School, with the Regional Award of Distinction at the 10th Annual SSC Video Competition.
SOUTH HOLLAND, IL – South Suburban College’s Office of Continuing Education and STEM Department are partnering to offer courses to help fill the summer days with activities that will inspire and challenge kids and young adults.
Explore various areas of STEM (science, technology, engineering, math) utilizing tools available in the SouthWorks Maker Lab. Topics may include, but are not limited to: two and three-dimensional design software, electronics, programming, laser cutting and 3D printing.
KFKSSC is pleased to offer several STEM for Kids classes at the Oak Forest Center in June for grade school and high school students:
First time non-credit students should visit the Admissions Office, Room 2348, or call Continuing Education at (708) 596-2000, ext. 2231 to get started. For questions about these classes or STEM programs at SSC, please contact Anna Helwig, STEM Dean, at (708) 210-5706. For more information about all of SSC’s programs, admissions and registration, please visit www.ssc.edu or contact the Admissions Office at (708) 210-5718.
SOUTH HOLLAND, IL – South Suburban College’s Continuing Education Department is offering courses to help fill the summer days with activities that will entertain and challenge children and young adults. The College for Kids classes scheduled for this summer will begin the week of June 12 at SSC’s Main Campus in South Holland.
In addition, SSC will offer a Jam Session Day Camp for $299, beginning on June 12, 2017. This four-week summer school program is less than $5 per hour for academics and fun enrichment programs two days a week. Math will consist of review and instruction of the basic arithmetic skills. In addition to Reading and Math, students will enjoy a variety of other stimulating activities, such as Spanish.
The following Learning Enrichment Classes will be offered for preschoolers and kindergartners at a cost of $49 each:
ABC’s and 123’s
Jump Start on Kindergarten
The following classes will be offered for elementary school kids for $69 each:
Well Written Essays
Study Skills
Grammar No Problem
Reading, Accelerated or Refresher
Math Refresher
Pre-Algebra
Spanish
The following high school classes will be offered for $79 each:
Written Essays
Study Skills
Introduction to Algebra
Pre-Algebra/Geometry
Conversational Spanish
Students with classes totaling $100 or more may be eligible for the FACTS deferred tuition payment plan. For more information about FACTS please contact the Business and Accounting Services Office at (708) 596-2000, ext. 5720. Access class schedule online from www.ssc.edu to search the Summer Continuing Education Schedule, or call (708) 596-2000, ext. 2231. Contáctanos al (708) 210-5740 o a Latino@ssc.edu. SSC’s Main Campus is located at 15800 South State Street, South Holland, Illinois.
